Satellite receiver/router, system, and method of use

ABSTRACT

This specification discloses a satellite transmission system for transmission of TCP/IP compatible packets from a head end computer through a satellite uplink, an extraterrestrial satellite, a satellite downlink, and an integrated satellite receiver/router for outputting of the TCP/IP compatible packets through a port on the receiver/router onto a computer LAN or WAN. The system may include an Internet or telecommunications backchannel. The receiver becomes router enabled by means of a removable insertion Ethernet/Router insertion card inserted into a slot in the receiver, although the transmission system may be used to simultaneously transmit a variety of other services through the receiver by use of other service slots in the receiver. The Ethernet/Receiver supports the IGMPv2 Multicasting (querier and non querier modes), standard TCP/IP (including UDP and Telnet), and SNMP protocols.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/627,365, filed Jul.28, 2000, which is a continuation of, and claims priority through: (I)two prior provisional U.S. patent applications: (a) Ser. No. 60/080,530,filed Apr. 3, 1998, entitled “Ethernet Satellite Delivery Apparatus”;and (b) Ser. No. 60/105,878, filed Oct. 27, 1998, entitled “EthernetSatellite Delivery Apparatus”; and (II) one prior U.S. utilityapplication: Ser. No. 09/287,200, entitled “Satellite Receiver/Router,System, and Method of Use”, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,160,797. Thedisclosures of each of such provisional and utility applications areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to satellite delivery of TCP/IP compatiblecontent. More particularly, this invention relates to a removableinsertion card, and method of its use, in a satellite transmissionsystem to provide integrated receiver/routers, with the ability todistribute TCP/IP compatible content into a computer network.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Internet is an enormous network of computers through which digitalinformation can be sent from one computer to another. The Internet'sstrength—its high level of interconnectivity—also poses severe problemsfor the prompt and efficient distribution of voluminous digitalinformation, particularly digitized imaging, audio, or videoinformation.

Internet service providers (ISP's) have attempted to accelerate thespeed of delivery of content to Internet users by delivering Internetcontent (e.g., TCP/IP packets) to the user through a satellite broadcastsystem. One such system is the direct-to-home (“DTH”) satellite deliverysystem such as that offered in connection with the mark, “DirecPC.” Inthese DTH types of systems, each subscriber or user of the system musthave: (i) access to a satellite dish; (ii) a satellite receiverconnected to the satellite dish and mounted in the user's PC; and (iii)an Internet back channel in order to request information from InternetWeb sites.

The DTH system is thus quite costly, since each user must have its ownreceiver and connection to a satellite dish. The DTH system is alsosomewhat difficult to deploy since the satellite receiver is mounted ineach DTH user's PC.

The DTH system also does not take advantage of any pre-existingsatellite systems, and it often is a single carrier system, dedicated tothe delivery of Internet content to the user. It does not allow the userflexibility to receive, much less distribute to others, other types ofservices, such as non-Internet radio broadcast or faxing services forexample. The DTH systems also typically modify the IP packets at thehead end, thus introducing significant processing delay through the needto reconstruct packets on the receiving end.

DTH systems may also utilize the DVB standard, in which event the systemmight broadcast other services. DVB systems, however, utilize astatistical data carrier. For this and other reasons, the DVB systemsoften cause significant additional delay due to the need to reconstructpackets from the statistically multiplexed carrier sent through the DVBsystem.

The DTH system is also typically quite limited in its bandwidthcapabilities. The consumer DirecPC system, for example, is limited to440 kbps, thus limiting its effectiveness as a reliable, flexible, andquick distribution vehicle for Internet content, particularly voluminouscontent, to all users of the system through the one carrier.

Another system used by ISP's and others to deliver Internet contentthrough satellites is the use of commercial or professional qualitysatellite receivers in conjunction with traditional routers connectedinto an ISP LAN or similar LAN for delivery of the received contentthrough its LAN to its subscribers either on the LAN or through modemsand telecommunications lines interconnecting the modems. (See Prior ArtFIG. 3.) These types of separate receiver-and-router satellite systemshave typically required use of traditional satellite data receivers withintegrated serial, often RS-422 types, of interface or data outputs. Thedata output is connected into the router, which then converts the datainto Ethernet compatible output and routes and outputs the Ethernet ontothe LAN.

The applicant has discovered that these prior art data receiver andseparate router systems present several problems. For example, thetraditional data receivers are relatively inflexible and support onlyone or two services; and the use of a separate router is expensive. Inaddition, these types of systems usually employ a DVB transportmechanism, which is not well suited to transmitting Internet and similartypes of content for a number of reasons. One reason is that, as notedabove, the DVB transport protocol and mechanism add substantial delaysinto the system. Another is that, as the applicant has discovered, theDVB transport mechanism utilizes excessive amounts of bandwidth.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The applicants have invented an Ethernet/Router card, method of its usein a satellite receiver, and overall TCP/IP compatible satellitetransmission system. The Ethernet/Router card enables the satellitereceiver to provide the service of receiving a broadcast of TCP/IPcompatible information or content, and route and output the informationor content in Ethernet format directly onto a LAN or other Ethernetcomputer connection. The Ethernet/Router card preferably includes aninternal router and is preferably compatible with protocols, includingUDP and SMTP, which enable the card to properly route the TCP/IPcompatible content onto the LAN or other Ethernet computer connection.

The Ethernet/Router card also preferably includes one or more serialoutputs or ports in order to provide data services or connectivity inaddition to that provided through the Ethernet port. The Ethernet/Routercard preferably is removably insertable, and hot swappable, into a slotin the satellite receiver.

The applicant's satellite transmission system, and particularly itsEthernet/Router card, are preferably adapted to process each IP packetas an entire block, eliminating the need to break up or reconstructpackets of IP data at the receiving end. The preferred systems thusspeeds up the processing, reception, and distribution of the IP datathrough the system.

There are other aspects and features of the invention that will becomeapparent as the specification proceeds. It is to be understood, however,that the scope of the invention is to be determined according to theaccompanying claims.

OBJECTS OR ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to distribute TCP/IP compatible contentby satellite.

It is an advantage of the present invention that it provides anEthernet/router card that can be mounted in a satellite receiverquickly, easily, and economically.

It is another advantage of the present invention that it provides asatellite receiver with the capability of receiving TCP/IP compatiblecontent and routing and distributing it onto a LAN or other computernetwork without need for a router to route the content onto the LAN ornetwork.

It is still another advantage that the preferred card is hot swappableand may be removed from the receiver without interfering with any otherservices provided by the receiver.

It is still another advantage of the present invention that thepreferred card can be used in a receiver that can deliver otherservices, through other cards, in addition to those provided by thepresent invention itself.

A still further advantage is that it provides satellite distribution ofTCP/IP compatible content the need for each PC receiving the contentthrough the receiver to have its own dish or its own satellite receiver.

An additional advantage is that the present invention provides satelliteTCP/IP distribution to PC's without having a satellite receiver beingmounted in a PC and subject to the instability of the PC environment.

Yet an additional advantage is that the present card can preferablyprovide data services in addition to delivery of Internet content.Another advantage is that the satellite receiver in which the card isinserted preferably can provide yet additional services through othercards inserted in slots in the receiver.

Another advantage is that existing networks of satellite receivers canbe adapted to deliver Internet services by mere insertion of the presentcards in the receivers, without having to replace the existing networks.

It is also an advantage of the present invention that the present systemand insertion card preferably provides the ability to deliver TCP/IPcontent to Ethernet LAN's without need for custom software.

Another advantage of the present invention is that, both the overallsystem and the Ethernet/Router card in particular, process IP packetswithout modification or separation of the contents of the packets. Theapplicants' satellite transmission system and the presentEthernet/Router card are thus easier to implement; and since theyprocess each IP packet as an entire block with no need to reconstructpackets on the receiving end, the system and the Ethernet/Router cardmore quickly process and route the IP packets from the head end to anassociated LAN on the receiving end.

There are many other objects and advantages of the present invention.They will become apparent as the specification proceeds. It is to beunderstood, however, that the scope of the present invention is to bedetermined by the accompanying claims and not by whether any givenembodiment achieves all objects or advantages set forth herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The applicants' preferred embodiment of the present invention is shownin the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the applicants' preferredsatellite transmission system, with an Internet backchannel, in whichthe applicants' preferred Ethernet/Router card has been inserted into aslot in a satellite receiver in order to distribute Internet contentthrough the card onto an Ethernet LAN to which the card is connected;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an alternative embodiment of theapplicants' preferred satellite transmission system for distribution ofTCP/IP content onto an intranet with a telecommunications-modem-providedbackchannel from the receiver to the head-end of the intranet;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a prior art satellite data receiver,separate Internet router, and LAN, as described in the BACKGROUNDsection above;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the applicants' preferred uplinkconfiguration utilizing a multiplexer to multiplex the satellitetransmission;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the applicants' preferred downlinkconfiguration for reception of a multiplexed satellite transmission fordistribution onto an associated LAN;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the applicants' preferred redundant uplinkconfiguration for clear channel transmission of up to 10 Mbps;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of the applicants' preferred redundant uplinkconfiguration for clear channel transmission of up to 50 Mbps;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of the preferred Ethernet/Router insertioncard;

FIGS. 9A, 9B are wiring diagrams of the backplane interface for thepreferred Ethernet/Router card of FIG. 8;

FIGS. 10A, 10B are wiring diagrams for the RS-232 monitor and controlport of the preferred Ethernet/Router card of FIG. 8;

FIGS. 11A, 11B are wiring diagrams for the two RS-232 auxiliary ports ofthe preferred embodiment of FIG. 8;

FIGS. 12A, 12B are wiring diagrams for the CPU of the preferredembodiment of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a wiring diagram for the DRAM on the preferred embodiment ofFIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a wiring diagram for the Flash RAM on the preferredembodiment of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the preferred Ethernet/Router cardshowing the backplane interface connector and the outside face andassociated ports and light indicators on the card.

DETAILED DECRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIG. 1, the applicants' preferred Internet backchannelsystem 10 is preferably utilized to distribute Internet content(according to the TCP/IP protocol, which may include UDP packets) onto aremote LAN 12 interconnecting PC's, e.g., 14, 16, on the remote LAN 12.Through the applicants' preferred Internet satellite transmission system10, content residing on a content server PC 18 is distributed accordingto the TCP/IP protocol through a third-party satellite 20 to the clientPC's 14, 16 on the remote Ethernet LAN 12.

In the applicants' preferred system 10, the TCP/IP content flow is asfollows:

1. A PC, e.g., 14, on the remote Ethernet LAN 12 is connected to theInternet through a conventional, and typically pre-existing, TCP/IProuter 36 in a fashion well known to those skilled in the art. Therouter 36 can thus send requests for information or Internet contentthrough the Internet 38 to a local router 40 to which a content server18 (perhaps an Internet web server) is connected in a fashion well knownto those skilled in the art.

2. The content server 18 outputs the Internet content in TCP/IP Ethernetpackets for reception at the serial port (not shown) on a conventionalInternet router 22;

3. The router 22 outputs HDLC encapsulated TCP/IP packets transmittedvia RS-422 signals at an RS-422 output port (not shown) into an RS-422service input into a StarGuide® MX3 Multiplexer 24, available fromStarGuide Digital Networks, Inc., Reno, Nev. (All further references toStarguide® equipment refer to the same company as the manufacturer andsource of the equipment.) The method of multiplexing utilized by the MX3Multiplexer is disclosed in Australia Patent No. 697851, issued on Jan.28, 1999, to StarGuide Digital Networks, Inc., and entitled “DynamicAllocation of Bandwidth for Transmission of an Audio Signal with a VideoSignal.”

4. The StarGuide® MX3 Multiplexer 24 aggregates all service inputs intothe Multiplexer 24 and outputs a multiplexed TDM (time divisionmultiplexed) data stream through an RS-422 port (not shown) for deliveryof the data stream to a modulator 26, such as a Comstream CM701 orRadyne DVB3030, in a manner well known to those skilled in the art. Themodulator 26 supports DVB coding (concatenated Viterbi rate N/(N+1) andReed-Solomon 187/204, QPSK modulation, and RS-422 data output). MultipleLANs (not shown) may also be input to the StarGuide® Multiplexer 24 asdifferent services, each connected to a different service input port onthe Starguide® Multiplexer 24;

5. The modulator 26 outputs a 70 MHz RF QPSK or BPSK modulated signal toa satellite uplink and dish antenna 28, which transmits the modulatedsignal 30 through the satellite 20 to a satellite downlink and dishantenna 31 remote from the uplink 28.

6. The satellite downlink 31 delivers an L-Band (920-2050 MHz) radiofrequency (RF) signal through a conventional satellite downlinkdownconverter to a StarGuide® II Satellite Receiver 32 with theapplicants' preferred Ethernet/Router card 34 removably inserted intoone of possibly five available insertion card slots (not shown) in theback side of the StarGuide® II Receiver 32. The StarGuide® II Receiver32 demodulates and demultiplexes the received transmission, and thusrecovers individual service data streams for use by the cards, e.g., 34,mounted in the StarGuide® II Receiver 32. The Receiver 32 might alsohave StarGuide® one or more audio card(s), video card(s), relay card(s),or async card(s) inserted in the other four available slots of theReceiver 32 in order to provide services such as audio, video, relayclosure data, or asynchronous data streams for other uses orapplications of the single receiver 34 while still functioning as asatellite receiver/router as set forth in this specification.

7. The Ethernet/Router card 34 receives its data and clock from theStarGuide® II Receiver 32, then removes the HDLC encapsulation in theservice stream provided to the card 34 by the StarGuide® II Receiver 32,and thus recovers the original TCP/IP packets in the data streamreceived from the Receiver 32 (without having to reconstruct thepackets). The Ethernet/Router card then performs address filtering androutes the resulting TCP/IP packets out the Ethernet port on the side ofthe card (facing outwardly from the back of the StarGuide® II Receiver)for connection to an Ethernet LAN for delivery of the TCP/IP packets toaddressed PCs, e.g., 14, 16 if addressed, on the LAN in a fashion wellknown to those skilled in the art.

As a result, high bandwidth data can quickly move through the preferredsatellite system 10 from the content server 18 through the one-waysatellite connection 20 to the receiving PC, e.g., 14. Low bandwidthdata, such as Internet user requests for web pages, audio, video, etc.,is sent from the remote receiving PC, e.g., 14, through the inherentlyproblematic but established Internet infrastructure 38, to the contentserver 18. Thus, as client PC's, e.g., 14, 16, request data, thepreferred system 10 automatically routes the requested data (provided bythe content server 12) through the higher bandwidth satellite 20transmission system to the StarGuide® II Receiver and its associatedEthernet/Router card(s) 34 for distribution to the PC's 14,16 withoutgoing through the Internet 38 infrastructure.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the applicants' preferred intranet system 42 ispreferably utilized to distribute TCP/IP formatted content onto a remoteLAN 12 interconnecting PC's, e.g., 14, 16, on the remote LAN 12. Throughthe intranet system 42, content residing on a content server PC 18 isdistributed through the intranet 42 to the client PC's 14,16 through aprivate telecommunications network 39.

The intranet system 42 of FIG. 2 works similarly to the Internet system10 of FIG. 1 except that the intranet system 42 does not provide abackchannel throught the Internet 40 and instead relies on conventionaltelecommunications connections, through conventional modems 44,46, toprovide the backchannel. In the applicants' preferred embodiment theremote LAN modem 44 connects directly to an RS-11 port on the outwardlyfacing side of the Ethernet/Router card 34 on the back side of theStarGuide® II Receiver 32 in which the card 34 is mounted. TheEthernet/Router card 34 routes TCP/IP packets addressed to the head endor content server 18 (or perhaps other machines on the local LAN 19) toan RS-232 serial output (113 in FIG. 8) to the remote LAN modem 44 fordelivery to the content servers or head end 18. Alternatively, theremote modem 44 may be connected to accept and transmit the TCP/IP dataand requests from a client PC, e.g., 14, through a router (not shown) onthe remote LAN 12, in a manner well known to those skilled in the art.

The local modem 46 is connected to the content server 18 or to ahead-end LAN on which the server 18 resides. The two modems 44, 46 thusprovide a TCP/IP backchannel to transfer TCP/IP data and requests fromPC's 14, 16 on the remote LAN (which could also be a WAN) 12 to thecontent server 18.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the applicants' preferred “muxed” uplinksystem, generally 48, is redundantly configured. The muxed system 48 isconnected to a local or head-end Ethernet LAN 19, to which an InternetWeb Server 50 and Internet Multicasting Server 52 are connected in amanner well known to those of skill in the art. Two 10BaseT EthernetBridges 53, 55 provide up to 8 Mbps (megabits per second) of EthernetTCP/IP data into RS-422 service ports (not shown) mounted in each of twoStarGuide® MX3 Multiplexers 24 a, 24 b, respectively. The mainStarGuide® Multiplexer 24 a is connected via its monitor and control(M&C) ports (not shown) through the spare Multiplexer 24 b to a 9600 bpsRS-232 link 56 to a network management PC 54 running the StarGuide®Virtual Bandwidth Network Management System (VBNMS).

Each of the Multiplexers, e.g., 24 a, output up to 8 Mbps through anRS-422 port and compatible connection to an MPEG-DVB modulator, e.g.,58. The modulators, e.g., 58, in turn feed their modulated output to a1:1 modulator redundancy switch 60 and deliver a modulated RF signal at70 to 140 MHz for transmission through the satellite (20 in FIG. 1). Inthis regard, the VBNMS running on the network management PC 54 is alsoconnected to the redundancy switch 60 via an M&C RS-232 port (not shown)on the redundancy switch 60.

With reference now to FIG. 5, in the applicants' preferred muxeddownlink, generally 62, there is no need for a router between theStarGuide® II Satellite Receiver 32 and the remote LAN 12. The Receiver32 directly outputs the Ethernet encapsulated TCP/IP packets from theEthernet output port (not shown) on the Receiver 32 onto the LAN cabling12 with no intermediary hardware at all other than standard inexpensivecabling hardware.

The LAN 12 may also be connected to traditional LAN and WAN components,such as local content servers 64, 66, router(s), e.g., 36, and remoteaccess server(s), e.g., 68, in addition to the LAN-based PC's, e.g., 14,16. In this WAN configuration, yet additional remotely connected PC's70, 72, may dial-in or be accessed on conventional telecommunicationslines, such as POTS lines through a public switching telco network(PTSN) 71 to procure TCP/IP or other content acquired by the remoteaccess server 68, including TCP/IP content delivered to access server 68according to addressing to a remotely connected PC, e.g., 70, of packetsin the Ethernet data stream output of the Ethernet/Router card (34 inFIG. 1).

With reference now to FIG. 6, the applicants' preferred clear channelsystem, generally 74, eliminates the need for both costly multiplexers(e.g., 24 in FIG. 4) and the VBNMS and associated PC (54 of FIG. 4). Theclear channel system 74 is well suited to applications not requiringdelivery of multiple services through the system 74. The clear channelsystem 74 of FIG. 6 provides up to 10 Mbps of Ethernet TCP/IP datadirectly into the input of an MPEG-DVB modulator, e.g., 58, foruplinking of the frequency modulated data for broadcast through thesatellite (20 in FIG. 1). (Note that, although these systems employMPEG-DVB modulators, they do not utilize DVB multiplexers or DVBencrypting schemes.)

Alternatively and with reference now to FIG. 7, the bridges 53, 55 mayeach instead consist of a 100BaseT Ethernet router 53, 55. As a result,these routers 53, 55 preferably may deliver up to 50 Mbps HSSI outputdirectly into their respective modulators, e.g., 58. Applicants'preferred modulator for this application is a Radyne DM-45 availablefrom Radyne Corporation.

Referring now to FIG. 8, the applicants' preferred Ethernet/Router card,generally 34, has a receiver backplane 90 for interfacing with theStarGuide® II Receiver (32 in FIG. 1) when the card 34 is removablyinserted in an available slot in the Receiver 32. In a muxed system(FIGS. 1, 2, and 4), the Receiver 32 is pre-configured by the user (notshown) to identify the particular Receiver 32 slot in which the card 34is mounted. In the clear channel mode (FIGS. 6 and 7), the identicalservice is presented to all five slots in the Receiver 32, so no-suchpre-configuration is required.

With continuing reference to FIG. 8, the backplane interface 90 providesthe card 34 with a clock 92 and the HDLC packetized TCP/IP data stream94 as the input into the HDLC depacketizer 96, which outputs TCP/IPpackets and data 97, previously encapsulated in HDLC by the head-endrouter (22 in FIG. 1), to a TCP/IP address filter 98. In turn, theaddress filter 98: (i) outputs the TCP/IP packets and data 99 to anEthernet transmitter 100, and (ii) routes certain TCP/IP packets (i.e.,UDP packets having a particular address common to all Ethernet/Routercards) as in-band signaling data 102 into an in-band signaling addressfilter 104. This in-band signaling filter 104 routes certain UDP packetsas commands 106 directed to a command processor 108 on the card 34. TheTCP/IP packets routed in this fashion are limited to an average datarate of less than 155 kbps to prevent overloading of the asynchronousinterfaces.

The Ethernet transmitter 100 provides Ethernet output 120 (including theTCP/IP packets for distribution by the card 34 to the LAN (12 in FIG.1)) to a 10baseT Ethernet connector 122 on the card 34. The Ethernetconnector 122 also receives Ethernet input 126 from the LAN (12 in FIG.1), which is received by the Ethernet receiver 128 on the card 34. TheEthernet receiver 128 outputs the TCP/IP and any data 130 received bythe card 34 to an Ethernet input address filter 132, which providescommands (including SNMP) 134 addressed to the card 34 to the commandprocessor 108. The Ethernet input address filter 132 also provides dataaddressed for the head-end, e.g., the content server (18 in FIG. 1), tothe modem communication processor 118. The modem communication processor118 optionally provides data transmission 140 and data reception 142through an RS-232 communications port 144.

The command processor 108 optionally outputs commands 110 to, andreceives as input responses 112 received from, an RS-232 M&C port 114 onthe card 34. The command processor also: (i) optionally exchangescommands 111 and responses 113 with at least one auxiliary RS-232 port115; (ii) optionally provides command output 114, and receives inputresponses 116 from, a modem communication processor 118; and (iii)outputs responses 136 to the Ethernet transmitter 100 when necessary toassure complete receipt of all TCP/IP data packets for users on the LAN(12 in FIG. 1).

All processing shown in FIG. 8 is managed by and largely conductedwithin the CPU (a Motorola MPC860 processor), which is shown in wiringdetail in FIGS. 12A, 12B. In this regard, the wiring detail for thebackplane interface 90 in FIG. 8 is shown in FIGS. 9A, 9B. The wiringdetail for the M&C port 114 in FIG. 8 is shown in FIGS. 10A, 10B. Thewiring detail for the auxiliary connector 115 in FIG. 8 is shown inFIGS. 11A, 11B. The wiring details for the DRAM and Flash RAM (not shownin FIG. 8) are shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 respectively. The DRAM, FlashRAM, auxiliary connectors, M&C port, backplane interface, and CPU areinterconnected on a single insertion circuit board in a fashion wellknown to those skilled in the art.

With reference now to FIG. 15, the preferred board 150 has allcomponents, e.g., 152, 154, 156, mounted on the surface of the board150, including additional support circuitry such as a crystal and resetcircuitry, programmable logic arrays, and RS-232 line drivers to supportthe RS-232 ports 115, 144 well known to those skilled in the art. Theinsertion end 156 of the card has a conventional backplane connector 156for connecting the backplane (90 in FIG. 8) to a mating backplaneconnector (not shown) within a StarGuide® II Receiver. The opposing end158 of the board 150 has an external face or side 160 extendingperpendicularly from the board 150. The external face 160 is flush withthe back side (not shown) of a StarGuide® Receiver 34 when removablymounted or inserted in the Receiver 34. Mounted on the face 160 are theEthernet port 122, the M&C port 109, the two auxiliary ports 115, 144,and a series of indicator lights 164 to indicate transmission,reception, linking, and other board activities.

With reference now to FIG. 8, in the IGMPv2 mode of the preferredreceiver/router, the Ethernet/Router card 34 will only allow multicast(UDP) packets to pass to the Ethernet connector 122 if a user hasrequested the multicast packet stream and the UDP packets are destinedfor multicast address for the stream. In static route mode, theEthernet/Router card 34 will only allow a packet to be output to theEthernet port 122 if the destination address is contained in the staticroute table maintained on the card 34.

The user can configure the static route table to pass individualaddresses or groups of addresses using a destination address and addressmask. The incoming packet's address is logically AND'd (joined) with thetable entry's mask, and if the result is equal to the table entry'sdestination address, the packet is passed to the Ethernet output port122.

For example, if any entry in the static route table on the card 34 isset to be: Destination Address: 100.1.3.0; Mask: 255.2555.255.0, thenany packets in the address range 100.1.3.0 to 100.1.3.255 will be passedto the Ethernet port 122.

The type of filtering used depends on the type of packet received. Ifthe packet's IP destination address is a multicast address, then thefiltering performed is IGMP if it is enabled. If the destination addressis a unicast address and the packet is an IP packet, static route tablefiltering is utilized if it is enabled. The filtering modes can beenabled and disabled independently. If both modes are disabled, allincoming IP packets will be passed out the Ethernet port.

Packets received through HDLC depacketizer 96 are routed through theEthernet/Router based on their destination IP address. Possibledestinations include the command processor 108, as noted above, one ofthe external asynchronous auxiliary interfaces 144, 115. Commands can berouted to the command processor 108 through packets that areencapsulated with either a Telnet or SNMP protocol. Either protocolallows a user to monitor or configure the Ethernet/Router card 34. Ifthe destination address of the packet received corresponds to either ofthe auxiliary ports 144, 115 (or a route established through these ports144, 115), then the packet will be forwarded through the appropriateport 144, 115. This allows the auxiliary ports 144, 115 to provide abackchannel to the head end server (18 in FIG. 1) by connecting anexternal modem (44 in FIG. 2) to one of the auxiliary ports 144, 115that can establish communication with the head end server 18 through themodem 44.

The modem communication processor 118 can thus include modem protocolsso that it can access the modem, have it dial phone numbers, and make aconnection with the head-end LAN (19 in FIG. 4).

With continuing reference to FIG. 8, the Ethernet/Router card 34maintains its own command menus, which are accessible by the StarGuide®II Receiver (32 in FIG. 1) and controllable through the front panelcontrol pad on the Receiver via the host interface in the Receiver. Thecommands for control of the Ethernet/Router card 34 are set forth in theattached Appendix A to this application. This specification alsoincludes a Source Code Appendix B containing source code for the subjectapparatus, in text files readily viewable with commonly availablesoftware such as Word for Windows 97 and WordPerfect 7.

Protocols supported by the preferred Ethernet/Router card include IGMPv2Multicasting (querier and non querier modes), standard TCP/IP (includingUDP and Telnet), and SNMP. The preferred Ethernet/Router card thusprovides a relatively economical means of upgrading an existingStarGuide® satellite transmission network, and even when deployed withone or more new StarGuideg II Receivers, provides an integratedsatellite receiver/router that is much easier to utilize, much moreversatile, and significantly less expensive than the conventional,separate receiver and router systems.

In this regard, it should also be noted that the StarGuide® Multiplexer,VBNMS, and Receiver allow for the transmission bandwidth or frequency ofthe system (e.g., 10 in FIG. 1) to be altered on the fly. The preferredsystem 10 is thus uniquely flexible, powerful, and yet economical.

The preferred receiver/router eliminates the need for any special orcustom software while providing a powerful, reliable, and flexiblesystem for high speed, asymmetrical distribution of Internet or TCP/IPcompatible content, including bandwidth intensive audio, video, ormultimedia content, to an Ethernet computer network. This isparticularly useful where a digital infrastructure is lacking,overburdened, otherwise inadequate, or cost prohibitive.

Although in the above detailed description, the applicants' preferredembodiments include Internet or telecommunications backchannels, theabove system may be utilized to provide high speed audio or videomulticasting (via UDP packets and deletion of the backchannel). In thisutilization of the applicant's receiver/router in a one-way system fromthe uplink to the receiver/router, all remote LAN's or other connectedcomputers receive the same data broadcast without any interference tothe broadcast such as would be encountered if it were to be sent throughthe Internet backbone. In addition, because the StarGuide® Multiplexer,VBNMS, and Receiver provide for bandwidth on demand, such a multicastingsystem also provides the flexibility to readily scale bandwidthutilization on the satellite as the bandwidth demands of the multicastedcontent grow.

It is to be understood that the foregoing is a detailed description ofthe preferred embodiments. The scope of the invention, however, is to bedetermined by reference to the accompanying claims.

1. A receiver in a satellite based IP communication system, saidreceiver including: a first processor receiving a signal from asatellite, said signal including IP packets, said first processorextracting at least a portion of said IP packets from said signal; and asecond processor receiving said signal from said satellite, said secondprocessor extracting additional digital data from said signal.
 2. Thereceiver of claim 1 wherein said additional digital data includes IPpackets.
 3. The receiver of claim 1 wherein said additional digital dataincludes audio data.
 4. The receiver of claim 1 wherein said additionaldigital data includes video data.
 5. The receiver of claim 1 whereinsaid additional digital data includes at least one of IP packets, audiodata, and video data.
 6. The receiver of claim 1 wherein said receiverincludes a first output port for outputting Ethernet frames.
 7. Thereceiver of claim 6 wherein said receiver includes a second output portfor outputting said additional digital data.
 8. A method for processinga signal in a satellite based IP communication system, said methodincluding: receiving a signal from a satellite at a receiver, saidsignal including IP packets; routing a first portion of said signal to afirst processor; extracting at least a portion of said IP packets fromsaid first portion of said signal using said first processor; routing asecond portion of said signal to a second processor; and extractingadditional digital data from said second portion of said signal usingsaid second processor.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein said additionaldigital data includes IP packets.
 10. The method of claim 8 wherein saidadditional digital data includes audio data.
 11. The method of claim 8wherein said additional digital data includes video data.
 12. The methodof claim 8 wherein said additional digital data includes at least one ofIP packets, audio data, and video data.
 13. The method of claim 8including outputting Ethernet frames through a first output port. 14.The method of claim 13 including outputting said additional digital datathrough a second output port.
 15. A receiver in a satellite based IPcommunication system, said receiver including: a first processorreceiving a signal from a satellite, said signal including IP packets,said first processor extracting at least a portion of said IP packetsfrom said signal to form a first data stream; a first output outputtingsaid first data stream from said receiver; a second processor receivingsaid signal from said satellite, said second processor extractingadditional digital data from said signal to form a second data stream;and a second output outputting said second data stream from saidreceiver.
 16. The receiver of claim 15 wherein said additional digitaldata includes IP packets.
 17. The receiver of claim 15 wherein saidadditional digital data includes audio data.
 18. The receiver of claim15 wherein said additional digital data includes video data.
 19. Thereceiver of claim 15 wherein said additional digital data includes atleast one of IP packets, audio data, and video data.
 20. The receiver ofclaim 15 wherein said first data stream includes Ethernet frames.
 21. Amethod for processing a signal in a satellite based IP communicationsystem, said method including: receiving a signal from a satellite at afirst processor, said signal including IP packets; extracting at least aportion of said IP packets from said signal with said first processor toform a first data stream; outputting said first data stream from saidreceiver through a first output port; receiving said signal from saidsatellite at a second processor; extracting additional digital data fromsaid signal with said second processor to form a second data stream; andoutputting said second data stream from said receiver through a secondoutput port.
 22. The method of claim 21 wherein said additional digitaldata includes IP packets.
 23. The method of claim 21 wherein saidadditional digital data includes audio data.
 24. The method of claim 21wherein said additional digital data includes video data.
 25. The methodof claim 21 wherein said additional digital data includes at least oneof IP packets, audio data, and video data.
 26. The method of claim 21wherein said first data stream includes Ethernet frames.
 27. A receiverin a satellite based IP communication system, said receiver including: afirst processor receiving a signal from a satellite, said signalincluding IP packets destined for an end user, said first processorextracting at least a portion of said IP packets from said signal toform a first data stream; a first output outputting said first datastream from said receiver; a second processor receiving said signal fromsaid satellite, said second processor extracting additional digital datadestined for an end user from said signal to form a second data stream;and a second output outputting said second data stream from saidreceiver.
 28. The receiver of claim 27 wherein said additional digitaldata includes IP packets.
 29. The receiver of claim 27 wherein saidadditional digital data includes audio data.
 30. The receiver of claim27 wherein said additional digital data includes video data.
 31. Thereceiver of claim 27 wherein said additional digital data includes atleast one of IP packets, audio data, and video data.
 32. The receiver ofclaim 27 wherein said first data stream includes Ethernet frames.
 33. Amethod for processing a signal in a satellite based IP communicationsystem, said method including: receiving a signal from a satellite at afirst processor, said signal including IP packets destined for an enduser; extracting at least a portion of said IP packets from said signalwith said first processor to form a first data stream; outputting saidfirst data stream from said receiver through a first output port;receiving said signal from said satellite at a second processor;extracting additional digital data destined for an end user from saidsignal with said second processor to form a second data stream; andoutputting said second data stream from said receiver through a secondoutput port.
 34. The method of claim 21 wherein said additional digitaldata includes IP packets.
 35. The method of claim 21 wherein saidadditional digital data includes audio data.
 36. The method of claim 21wherein said additional digital data includes video data.
 37. The methodof claim 21 wherein said additional digital data includes at least oneof IP packets, audio data, and video data.
 38. The method of claim 21wherein said first data stream includes Ethernet frames.